 Maxa (detail), 2003 Emulsion, acrylic on textile, 76 panels dims. var., 330 x 805 x 5cm (130 x 317 x 2in) Yinka Shonibare Play With Me Stephen Friedman Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by British artist Yinka Shonibare. Shonibare's paintings combine emulsion, acrylic, found objects and textiles and explore his interest in aesthetic and post-colonial issues. The textiles used in the works first became popular in West Africa after independence for being constructed as an "African" cloth. The fabric is, in fact, Indonesian-influenced, manufactured in Holland and purchased by Shonibare at Brixton market in London. The combination of emulsion, acrylic paint and ornate fabric creates a sensuous, exciting visual experience. In "Play With Me", every painting is round. Here Shonibare plays on the knowledge that roundness can imply physical geometric perfection or internal perfection. While earlier Shonibare paintings were based on a parody of the minimalist/modernist grid, the new paintings literally disrupt the idea of a tight formal structure in favour of a baroque sensibility. In these works, Shonibare explores his personal fondness for tactile enjoyment and play and he handles his interest in the post-colonial condition with a poetic lightness of touch. In "Play With Me", Shonibare will include a new series of Toy Paintings, in which multiple plastic toys form a frame around the edges of delicious round paintings. Here, it is the formal excitement of the surreal coalition of colour, manufactured material and improvised organic forms that are celebrated. Exhibition: 28 November 2003 - 17 January 2004 Gallery hours: Tue-Fri 10am - 6pm, Sat 11am - 5pm Stephen Friedman Gallery 25-28 Old Burlington Street GB-London W1S 3AN Telefon +44 (0) 20 7494 1434 Fax +44 (0) 20 7494 1431 E-Mail info@stephenfriedman.com www.stephenfriedman.com |
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